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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED to: a) approve the Outline Business Case (OBC) of the Agri-Food Business Park Expansion Project by Food Centre Wales, Horeb and Ceredigion County Council and to progress to Full Business Case for Work Package 2.
Councillor Jake Berriman welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies for absence were received from: Sue Balsom, Chair of the Economic Advisory Group; Councillor Beverley Baynham, Powys Independents; Jonathon Evans, Senior Manager of Digital Operations, Powys County Council; Peter James, Welsh Government Observer; and Emma Palmer, Chief Executive, Powys County Council
There were no declarations of personal interest reported.
The minutes of the last meeting held on 13th November 2025 were agreed as a correct record. Matters arising from the minutes It was noted that the skills element had not included in the agenda and that an update would be provided in January; that the Stop/Go project was progressing well with further information to be provided in January; that the Call for new Mid Wales Capital Projects Investment Pipeline podcast was now live; and that Savills had been appointed to provide independent support.
The Board was notified of a change request received from the Mobile Capability and Capacity Project delaying the submission of the Formal Business Case from April 2026 to May 2026 to allow for improved quality and robustness. It was noted that there would be no change in terms of dependency risks to the associated Portfolio milestones. GP noted that this was not a significant delay and asked for assurances that the submission would be ready by the end of May in order to avoid further requests for a change to the timeframe. AD confirmed that he was confident that the deadline would be met. DO, the Programme Manager also noted that there were no Board Meetings scheduled for April, and that this would allow for continued engagement and market research. JB noted that if required, a Board Meeting may be convened at any time to facilitate the progress of business cases.
None.
• 18th December (10am – 12pm) – Digital Programme Board • 16th January 2026 (9am – 12pm) – GMW Board • 3rd February 2026 (9.30 – 11.30am) – Portfolio Delivery Board BD asked whether the Board could meet face-to-face to review upcoming projects or for a site visit. JB also asked for clarification as to the impact of Purdah upon Committee meetings. CP confirmed that visits could continue during the pre-election period as they did not relate to any decision-making processes.
Part of an issue followed across 16 meetings
The report relating to item 8 is not for publication as it contains exempt information as defined in paragraph 14 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to information) (Variation) (Wales) Order 2007. If, following the application of the Public Interest Test, the Committee resolves to consider this item in private, the public and press will be excluded from the meeting during such consideration, in accordance with Section 100B(2) of the Act. EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC Members were requested, when dealing with the following items on the agenda to consider whether to exclude the public from the Meeting. RESOLVED To exclude the public and press from the meeting.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: a) approve the Outline Business Case (OBC) of the Agri-Food Business Park Expansion Project by Food Centre Wales, Horeb and Ceredigion County Council and to progress to Full Business Case for Work Package 2.
The Board considered the Outline Business Case for the Agri-Food Business Park expansion, and the outcome of an Appraisal Report completed by external consultants, BIC Innovation Ltd. NC noted that approval did not require release of funds at this stage, however it would assure £10.93m of allocated funding. She noted that the expansion to the Agri-Food Business Park at Horeb would lead to the establishing of a Food Manufacturing Innovation Centre, providing new food grade industrial units, offering advanced food manufacturing, research and development, skills and training facilities as well as supporting job creation. She noted that the project aligned with the Mid Wales Growth Deal priorities and that it made a strong and measurable contribution to the Mid Wales Growth Deal’s core objectives by creating 163 new full time equivalent jobs and contributing around £33m to £40m to the regional economy over its lifetime. It would also leverage other investment from other public investment and from the private sector. NC noted that a robust Gateway 2 review had been conducted which returned an Amber RAG rating. The review highlighted the social value and enduring economic benefit, however it also identified risks and actions to mitigate these risks such as closing the funding gap. An independent appraisal of the Outline Business Case was sought from external consultants which also returned an Amber RAG rating, and actions to address this. BD noted that there was significant public awareness of the resource that Horeb provides and asked for assurances that private match-funding would be forthcoming. CJE confirmed that the assurance review identified the match funding as an area that required a bit more work, and that the SRO has the responsibility to effectively leverage with the Welsh Government and the private sector, which was currently being modelled. He also noted that Savills had been appointed to look at the strategic pipeline for the region, and that they are also reviewing Horeb, the Cymru Tech site in Newtown and other existing projects. He noted the commitment and the confidence from tangible proposals from the private sector which will need to materialise before the final funding decision is made. JB asked if the Horeb site was wholly owned by Ceredigion County Council and whether any declarations of interest would be required. CP confirmed that it is a jointly sponsored project therefore the declaration had already been made. SC asked whether the overall job target of 170 by 2035/36 was acceptable within the criteria of the Growth Fund application, as this related to a 10-year period. NC noted that the target was set for the purpose of assessing the criteria and return on investment, however it may be realised sooner, and that the Final Business Case would provide more detail as to when to expect the jobs to come live. The Board of the Mid Wales Growth Deal unanimously RESOLVED to: a) approve the Outline Business Case (OBC) of the Agri-Food Business Park Expansion Project by Food Centre Wales, Horeb and Ceredigion County Council and to progress to Full Business Case for Work Package 2.
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